


Across the Sea

by ChingKittyCat



Series: PSMD Rewritten [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Evil, Gen, Good versus Evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28488282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChingKittyCat/pseuds/ChingKittyCat
Summary: Hero and Partner had some idea that the world wasn't just the Water Continent, but oh man, were they excited to see what else was across the ocean.Their first introduction was not a good one.
Series: PSMD Rewritten [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057577
Kudos: 4





	Across the Sea

When Archen was practically forced by Hero and Partner to buy those Lapras Liner Passes, they’d certainly not expected such a conundrum to pop up. Just their luck. They’d gotten front row seats to watch two Pokemon spiral out of the sky and crash into a nearby forest next to Baram Town.

With Archen’s help, they’d forged their way through the forest in search of the two Pokemon who'd crashed. They came upon a new ‘mon-made clearing, where the trees bent and broke back, where a ditch was dug, and rocks thrown about.

Grass was singed, unnaturally, in a circular pattern near to it. Hero and Partner immediately thought of the rumor they’d heard about in whispered tones around the streets of town. Something about a phantom, one shrouded in licking flames. Even Archen seemed to pay it some mind.

Archen scampered around the statue, desperate for answers. He’d insisted on finding Latias. Unfortunately, he’d gotten his answer in full, brunt force, as she too had been turned to smooth, cool rock. She, too, had that same singed mark near to her.

Partner and Hero felt different, seeing these statues. Maybe it was the fact that they’d hurdled through the air down into the forest, in some mockery of life only brought on by gravity getting them down. Maybe it was the implication that just right before they’d crashed, they’d been breathing and blinking, but now they were frozen, permanently, with those desperate faces.

The statue in the square of Lively Town was nothing like this. Even Magnezone wasn’t. It was different, Hero thought, to know that they’d been nearby to someone who moments ago was perfectly fine. Preventable range. 

No. They couldn't have prevented this. None of the three here could fly, and how could they stop a high-speed, flying chase above the clouds? Archen had told them that Latios and Latias were some of the fastest flying ‘mons.

“Whoever- whatever is doing this, we know now it can fly.” Archen mused to himself. “That and it can swim, and it can withstand extreme cold and extreme heat…”

Partner was busy examining Latias while Archen faced away. Not that poking or shoving it would do any good, they’d already tried that a while ago.

“This isn’t good, this- this is so bad.” Archen was still talking for his own pleasure. “If Latios and Latias aren’t around, then all the- the legendaries won’t be able to..” He trailed off, flapping his wings.

“What’re you mumbling about?” Partner poked Archen’s shoulder. Archen jumped, just about ready to smack Partner from them surprising him.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He scolded. “Nearly made me jump out of my feathers!”

“Well, what’s wrong?”

“Latios and Latias are stone, that’s wrong! We need to get back to the Society- wait. No, we need to check up on Celebi!”

“Celebi?”

“Deeper in this forest is Time Travel Lake. We need to make sure that Celebi is okay before we get back. If Celebi’s been turned to stone- oooh, I don’t know.. I need to talk to Mawile about all this..” 

“Well, I’m up for some more adventuring, especially if it means making sure someone’s alright! Let’s go!”

Partner scampered forth with vigor. Hero nodded, following after, and Archen trailed behind the two. That’s how it was through the oncoming dungeon of thick brushes and dense trees, brimming with strong grass types and the occasional outlier fire type and water type.

Thanks to them packing an abundance of Tiny Reviver Seeds (and finding plenty on the ground, too) they managed to get to the end of the dungeon by the skin of their teeth. What laid for them looked like just a normal, big, acorn-shaped lake. 

No one was there.

“Celebi!” Archen called out across the lake’s bank. He squawked and screeched a few more times, encouraging Hero and Partner to join in.

Yet, their crying out gave them no response from the elusive Celebi. Partner huffed and puffed, their vocal cords strained from all the yelling. They went to take a sip from the lake, but Archen pushed them back.

“Don’t drink it.” Archen warned. 

“Why?”

“We can have some water back in town. This lake is sacred.”

“Oh, okay.” Partner quickly acquiesced. Hero thought it was a bit weird, but then they thought back to Partner’s attitude about Revelation Mountain. 

If it’s sacred, it’s sacred. Which means don’t touch it.

The three had waited a little bit before leaving, knowledge in hand. They’d took a break at the Kangaskhan Cafe before returning to Lively Town just in time for dinner. Much to Hero’s surprise, Archen mentioned nothing about their outing to the other Society members over the dinner table. Was there no better place to talk about something that important?

Maybe it’s because everyone was too focused on the food over the conversation. That usually was the case, so Hero understood. Yet, even after they’d finished, Archen spoke not a single word about it. Even Partner got weirded out by the silence.

They were shooed off to bed rather non-gracefully by Buizel, who was insistent on them getting rest for the next day full of adventures. So of course they listened, because Buizel was a bit nasty and not listening to him meant an earful.

Hero just couldn’t sleep. Every time they tried, the images of Latios and Latias flashed behind their eyelids. The feeling of being chased, being hunted down, and then being caught. The objectification to nothing more than a prey item, running from their hunter. Was pertification instant? Was it like a relief? Or was it slow, could they watch themselves slowly become rock, desperately trying to keep in the air despite the new weight and the new dread of what becoming stone meant?

It made Hero’s skin crawl. They couldn’t stop thinking about it. They needed to do something, anything else to keep their mind off of it now that it’d entered and make itself comfortable in the forefront of their mind.

They clambered out of bed. Partner was asleep like a log, so Hero didn’t bother to make themselves quiet when they left their room. They heard the faint noise of conversation upstairs. Interested in quelling their own thoughts with others speaking, they headed for it. As it came into better earshot, it became apparent what it was.

Hero hid behind one of the doorways, hearing and interest perked.

“Latios and Latias being stone means no messages can be transferred easily between Legendaries or Mythicals.” Mawile said with a clinical seriousness. “First it’s Pokemon who have some power, and next it’s them. Whatever is doing this wants to close off communications.”

“In all me years on the sea, working for me captain, I have never seen such a thing. But even when things got the worst, it ain’t ever been as bad as this.” Buizel was equally as down about it.

“To draw from Buizel’s conclusions,” Dedenne squeaked, “the underwater warfarers have had thousands of years of history about this sort of thing. They’re talented in closing off communications, perhaps we could look for our culprit in the ocean?”

“No, Latios and Latias were flying when they fell.” Archen disagreed.

“Matine be flyin’.” Buizel interjected.

“No matter how fast a Matine could be, it would never be as fast as Latios and Latias.” Mawile said.

“How do ye explain the Boss of the Northern Sea, then?” Buizel sounded smug.

“I think we need to expand our scope, team. Perhaps everyone here is right.” Ampharos sounded like a real leader. “What if it’s multiple Pokemon? It would explain the discrepancy between abilities. Unless we’re to believe Arceus himself is out bringing everyone to a new stone age.”

“D-Don’t say that.” Jirachi mumbled. “Arceus going around- no, I don’t want to think about that.”

“It’s impossible, stop getting your ribbons in a scared twist.” Dedenne scoffed. “Arceus hasn’t come down from that huge tower in like, ever.”

“In all of recorded history, Arceus has never left his tower.” Mawile corrected. “There are myths about him creating the planet and the universe, but they are just that.”

“Arceus aside, I would like to propose that we think about the possibility of multiple Pokemon working together for the same goal— turning important Pokemon to stone.” Ampharos said.

“It seems the most likely,” Mawile agreed, “but with that hypothesis, we have no clue how many Pokemon could be working together for this goal. Five, fifty, five hundred.. Not to mention we don’t know  _ any  _ Pokemon who can turn others to stone. The idea that there’s many of them seems improbable.”

“While I was out, I’d heard rumors.” Archen spoke up. “There was this thing called the ‘Flaming Phantom’. It’s a ball of fire, and it’s been sighted near to Pokemon who’d just turned to stone. While I was investigating Latios and Latias, there were singe marks. I think it’s best to assume that whoever’s doing this may be a Fire type.”

“Then we shall start there. Powerful fire types with a history of megalomania.” Dedenne said.

Hero wasn’t too sure what megalomania was, but they got the feeling they didn’t really need to. If they were to keep going on adventures with Partner, they needed to know who to watch out for. Avoid powerful fire types… Alright.

“There is one Pokemon who may have the capacity to do all of this.” Ampharos sighed. “We must investigate Ho-Oh, the mirage Pokemon. Furthermore, we should be on the lookout for Lugia, the diving Pokemon. The two of them are powerful, they can fly, and one of them is a Fire type. Lugia’s involvement would explain why Pokemon in the sea have turned to stone.”

“Alright.” Dedenne was determined. “I’ll see if I can get in touch with any Rescue Teams or Guilds who can-”

“Did ye forget I’m sitting right here?” Buizel slapped his paw on the table with a resounding ‘thwap’. “I’ll be the one findin’ Lugia. We shouldn’t be outsourcin’ work when we can keep it close to us. What if one of those Guild bucketheads goes and blabs their lips off?”

“A thought out conclusion. We should keep work in the Society, just in case.” Dedenne agreed.

“I will try to reach Ho-Oh, in the meantime.” Ampharos volunteered. “My typing advantage should help. Mawile, if you’d come with me?”

“Of course.” Mawile sounded like she was smiling.

“I..” Jirachi trailed off before picking it back up. “I feel sick.”

No one said anything. 

“A Pokemon got turned to stone in the middle of the square.” Jirachi’s despair flowed through the air like a heavy stench. “In a public place. Now the Pokemon who are getting turned to stone are Legenedaries and Mythicals, important Pokemon with important jobs.. How can I be safe inside a building? With everyone leaving to do things?”

“If you find yourself unsafe, Jirachi,” Ampharos had this almost fatherly concern, “I would suggest you return to your original ninety-nine floor dungeon. You would be safest there, but on the other hand, you would be completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Especially now that Latios and Latias have been turned to rock.”

Jirachi gulped. 

“I can’t think like this. I’m sorry, that was rather unbecoming of a genius, huh?” Jirachi laughed, dryly. “I need to deliberate on it. Observing the stars is important, I know, and if I returned to my old dungeon, I would not be able to assist all of you.”

“The decision is yours and yours alone.” Ampharos concluded. “I believe that’s all we need to discuss for now. Please get a full night’s sleep, everyone.”

Hero scrambled away, back down the stairs, and around the hallway to get right back into bed before anyone could notice they’d left. Then, in the morning, they'd explained everything they'd overheard to a bleary-eyed Partner.

* * *

Hero and Partner had enough money saved up that by the time Archen had bought their passes to the Air continent, they just splurged on the rest. Partner loved going to all the new towns and world that’d opened up to them, and Hero loved seeing their expression as they curiously yet eagerly assaulted all the foriegn Pokemon with beleaguering questions. 

They’d gone to different continents multiple times a day, usually visiting every major port town before the sun went down. It was to talk to ‘mons, as Partner was so eager to do, and to better fill out the Communication Orb. It kept their minds off other things.

On the open ocean, even, Partner was busy chatting up either Lapras or any fortunate Water Pokemon who’d happened to be swimming nearby.

“What’s that island in the distance? I can see a big mountain!” Partner perched up atop Lapras’s head, thankful for the calm waters.

Lapras craned their neck to follow Partner’s direction. They squinted, but they clearly recognized it after a moment of thought.

“That isn’t a mountain,” Lapras chucked, “it’s a tree. The biggest tree on the entire planet.”

Hero could practically hear the stars explode behind Partner’s eyes at the concept and they instantly knew that their route over to the Sand Continent was going to include a detour today.

“Can we go there? Lets go there instead! It’s less far than wherever we were going! Pleeease?” Partner begged.

“I don’t see why not.” Lapras turned off course to head for the island. “You do have all the Lapras Liner Passes, you’re basically VIPs.”

“Did you hear that, Hero? We’re VIPs! Very Important Pokemon!”

Hero smiled, a little proud that they were important. Now if only that importance was gotten from their job rather than how much money they spent to get around the world.

“So, what’s on that island?” Partner whipped back to the original conversation. “Who lives there?”

“Well, there’s a big tree called the Tree of Life. Only one Pokemon lives there, as far as I know. Their name is Xerneas.”

“That sounds familiar.”

“It should, Xerneas is a powerful Legendary Pokemon who helps others evolve.”

Hero suddenly snapped back to when they’d been in class with Partner and the other schoolkids. They’d been taught about evolution, hadn’t they? How it was sort of like maturing, but it was more like just becoming more powerful? 

Evolving sounded nice. Hero could tell that they were ready for it. They didn’t know how they knew, but they could just tell in their heart of hearts. But did they want to? They were just getting used to this body as is…

“The Tree is a beautiful place. It’s a must-go spot for Pokemon who want to evolve, or even just ones who want to sightsee.”

Oh please, Lapras, you were just revving Partner’s motor all the more. They looked like they were about to just run across the ocean to get there faster.

Which, instead, is what they did when they landed ashore and had to go through a particularly tough dungeon. It was a bit above either of their paygrades, but by booking it to the stairs constantly and avoiding conflict, the clearing ahead opened up to the two weary adventurers.

A beautiful tree of rainbow colors and astonishing size greeted them as the wind blew its dangling strands of gold. Taken by the sight, Partner blinked dozens of times, as though their eyelids were a camera shutter, so they could capture the sight into their mind.

They’d ooh’d and aah’d to their heart’s delight. Hero was happy to do all the same. Though, then Partner began to search out the promised Xerneas. They’d both looked around, Partner calling out loud enough to wake the dead.

“Maybe they’re just out right now? I guess maybe we should come back later.” Partner sounded a little bummed. “My old pops said that even the most serious of ‘mons have to take a break sometimes.”

Hero nodded. Being a legendary came with many responsibilities and duties that were just handed unto you from birth. The stress of all that could crush anyone, or make anyone want to take a break. Or, well, that’s what they assumed.

They’d headed back after a brief interval of waiting, hoping Xerneas would show their face last second. No cigar. When they’d told Lapras of Xerneas’s absence, the sea-farer seemed confused, but agreed with the hypothesis that Xerneas, perhaps, was just off today.

Nevertheless, they needed to head to the Sand Continent before it got dark.


End file.
